Ranma ½

Love Note

Usual disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, any resemblance to Ranma ½ or Death Note is purely intentional, and the rest of that jazz.

For the purposes of this story, any text within single quotes like 'this' is considered a thought.

Chapter 9


Morning at Furinkan High school found one principal Kuno taking a time out to check for rule infractions. As was usual, a rule infraction was whatever he considered an infraction at that particular moment and thought he could get away with. In fact, if he had his way... well, Furinkan would likely be empty due to all the students and faculty refusing to come, but that didn't really factor into his thinking.

In one of his many 'offices', one painted floor to ceiling to give the appearance of a beach setting on Hawii, he was fiddling with the antennae on his television set. For the past week he had been getting a great deal of interference which was rather frustrating, but despite repeated failure at actually correcting the problem, he persisted. Finally, after several minutes of no luck with manipulating the actual antennae, he switched to the dial on the television, going through various channels of static. "Stupid... how's the big kahuna supposed to enforce them there school rules without the surveillance cameras working?" he muttered as he continued to twist various knobs and controls at random.

It was at about this moment when a knock came at the door. Absently he called out, "come in," while continuing about his efforts. As instructed, the door opened to reveal what most would assume to be a young girl, but who was in fact the teacher/school disciplinarian Ms. Hinako. She, like most the student body, had no love for the principal, but he did pay her check so she tolerated him.

"Uh, principal Kuno, I have a few questions about this new curriculum. I really don't think it's appropriate for high school... or any school for that matter," Hinako said as she said.

"Uh huh, uh huh, that be wonderful news," he replied, gaining a deep frown from the instructor. "Why this thing no be a working!"

'He's worse than Ranma,' Hinako thought just as the principal pulled away from the television in shock. "What?" Hinako asked, peeking around him to get a look at the television.

"Me no remember putting a camera in the girls' locker room..." the principal thought aloud, but suddenly felt a great deal of danger from his side. In a panic he withdrew, seeing Hinako glaring at him in outrage. "Wait!"

"DELIQUENT!!"


Far across the district, Maho Nakako (real name Naomi Misori) forced herself awake. The previous night, like every night for the last week, had been a long one, and like several times before, she had ended up simply falling asleep on the coach inside L's room. Looking around, it quickly became evident from the angle of the Sun that it was much later in the day than was usual.

"Ms. Nakako," the man named Watari greeted as he handed Maho a fresh cup of coffee.

"Thank you, Watari," she replied as she sat up and took a sip.

Maho had met Watari the morning after meeting L. Unlike L, she'd hadn't heard much about Watari, other than his role as L's usual contact with public officials. However, it still was a bit surprising to find out that Watari was an older gentlemen. She had not asked his age, but if she were to guess from his heavily graying hair, she'd place him at around 60. Despite that, he was very dutiful, going about any task set to him by L with a smile and great diligence.

While meeting Watari may have been a minor surprise, the goings on around Nerima nearly gave Maho cause to have herself committed. Since starting the surveillance she had witnesses all manner of things that she once believed to be beyond human. Boys and girls regularly beating the world pole vaulting record without the need for any pesky pole. Another boy, one Tatewaki Kuno, she saw smash through a stone fence with a wooden sword. Then there was Ranma who's movements were so fast the camera could catch nothing but a blur. Then there was the little matter of Ranma changing from a he to a she and back again with just a little water. It was about at that moment that Maho starting become suspicious that L was drugging her with hallucinogens.

What was perhaps even more unnerving than everything she was seeing day after day was that L seemed largely uninterested in the whole affair. Oh, he had fallen out of his chair when he saw Ranma transform for the first time, but that had been the extent of his reaction. She had argued at great length with him twice already that all of this was insane, but he remained his impeccably calm self and kept reminding her that this was reality. "How can you be so calm about all this?" she had asked him just yesterday.

"Because, I have had occasion to see it all before... save the Jusenkyo curse, but that too I had seen some information on. It is quite fascinating I will admit, but nothing particularly new to me," was his response. After that he had directed her to some files on one of his computers which she had been reviewing for much of the night. In them she had seen that L had dealt with many a 'mystery' case where such an specially endowed individual had been involved who the police had overlooked due to the super natural manner of the crime.

Taking another long sip of her coffee, Maho stood up and looked around, finding L surprisingly sitting in front of the monitors but with all of them off. "What's going on?" Maho asked as she walked over.

"Unfortunately, a stray signal from one of our cameras was picked up by the principal. It has resulted in the discovery of our surveillance network at the school."

"That's not good," Maho replied.

"No, but also yes. Obviously we've lost a valuable source of information, but fortunately, the nature of the discovery has lead most at the school to believe that the principal himself is responsible," L said, and looked over at Maho. "I think it little matters. We've collected enough information to get a good picture of the area and a potential pool of suspects. Would you not agree?"

"I guess so," Maho conceded, but her mind was still on the argument of the night before. "L, I still don't understand how you can find all of this... stuff unimportant. I'm willing to accept that this is all real now and such, but now that I know things like magic really exist, then surely we know that Cupid is using magic to do what she's doing."

"Do we?" L asked with an upraised eyebrow. "What made you conclude that?"

Maho blinked, at a loss for how to respond to such a question for a few seconds. "It's magic!" she finally exclaimed.

"Magic has rules, just like those things we call science. Central among those rules is the need for the user to have some connection with the victim. They could touch them, speak to them, have a lock of their hair... the options are quite diverse, but..." L replied, trailing off in a manner that Maho recognized was her prompt to step in.

"But your test showed that Cupid didn't need any such connection."

"Exactly," L said with a nod. Defeated for the moment, Maho sighed, and took a seat next to L. L remained silent for a moment, but then continued on. "Cupid's power is what drew me to this case. It defies all known rules I can attribute to every means of committing an act that I have ever encountered. What we are dealing with is something new."

"Maybe it's a new form of magic?" Maho asked.

"Perhaps, but doubtful. Another key aspect of magic is the reagents. Most advanced magics require them, and love magics are notoriously expensive in this regard. Yet here we have Cupid affecting hundreds of people with no signs of any resource limitation. If my sources are trustworthy, and I believe them to be, that is more cases of love magic in just a matter of weeks than in all of history combined and multiplied by ten."

"But she did stop," Maho pointed out.

L nodded. "Yes, and it may yet be that this cease in activity is due to a lack of resource, but, tell me, what do you do when a resource starts becoming limited?"

Maho thought for a moment. "I ration it. Cupid showed no signs of slowing her activity. In fact, counting the police, she actually increased activity," Maho analyzed. "Still, it's possible that she didn't know she was running out," she tried to argue, but the instant she said it, she shook her head, dismissing her own argument. "Yeah, but then the odds would favor a rough cut off. A half day of activity or the like."

"Which we saw no signs of," L replied. "Coupled together with the issue of the limits of magic, we are dealing with something else. Something new." Seeing Maho's disappointed face, L looked up thoughtfully. "Of course, that does not mean all that we have seen is totally irrelevant. This school and the surrounding area seems to be quite the hot bed of usual activity. Although nothing says that Cupid would require such an environment, it does somewhat speak to our assumptions up to this point being accurate and that Cupid is near."

"Right," Maho said, although she recognized the slight concession from L for what it was. "So, where to go from here?" she wondered aloud.

"You tell me," L replied, annoying Maho.

"Why do you even bother asking me? You obviously already know the answer."

L nodded. "The odds do favor that I have already reached the same conclusion that you will, but it is always good to confirm my reasoning. Do not misunderstand, it is very rare for anyone to keep pace with my thinking."

Once more, Maho sighed and decided to dismiss the matter. "Okay, in that case... We know, both from what Ukyo said in that phone call, and from what we've been hearing around the school that Cupid has likely affected those three girls, and the boy Ranma, oh and that Doctor too. From that I'm guessing Ukyo's suspect was Shampoo."

"The Amazon? Why her?"

Maho frowned in annoyance, but played along. "She's the only one to have broken free of the affect. The affects on Akane and Kodachi directly hinder their involvement with Ranma, Shampoo's desired husband, and indirectly deal with Mousse and Ukyo, two other thorns in her side. Now, yes, Ranma too was affected, but I think that is also why Ukyo was doubtful of her conclusion. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense that Shampoo would make Ranma love someone else."

L nodded in approval. "I agree completely. But, what of our newest angle with Shan Pu and the Tofu Ono?"

"It could be Cupid coming back to finish the job. If so, that would definitely show that Cupid doesn't want Shampoo with Ranma."

"Do you think so?" L asked, surprising Maho.

"What? You think differently?"

"I just noticed something. Perhaps you haven't," L replied.

"Noticed what?" Maho asked insistently, and L turned on one of the screens which showed an oscilloscope.

Grabbing up a nearby laptop, L began typing while speaking. "After learning of the involvement of Shampoo in this whole affair, I had Watari bug their phone remotely," L said. Maho frowned once again at L so flagrantly defying wiretapping laws, but said nothing as he continued. "They unfortunately do not use their phone for much beyond their business, but I was fortunate enough to catch one particular conversion."


Over at the Nekohanten, Dr. Tofu arrived for a quick meeting with Cologne. They had been meeting every other day since the incident, and although there was basically nothing new to report, they had decided it best to convene anyway, just in case Cupid tried to pull one of her memory erasing stunts on one or the other. Just outside, Tofu took in several deep breaths in an effort to calm himself before entering. The effort was quickly rendered pointless as once he caught sight of Shampoo, his mind fogged over just as quickly as his glasses.

"Shampoo!" Tofu greeted, took one step forward and promptly fell over a table. As he desperately tried to collect himself enough not to make matters worse, he found himself being pulled back up to a standing position, and whatever sense was left to him was destroyed as he realized it was the young Amazon in question.

"Doctor, you is so silly," Shampoo said with a smile. "Come, this way," she directed, as Tofu could only laugh nervously while in close contact with her. Knowing that his feelings were manufactured by Cupid did not matter. He was simply consumed by them, lost in them. Even being merely touched by Shampoo was shear bliss. Lead into the kitchen and out of sight of the public, Tofu still found himself lost in his own emotions.

No sooner were they out of view than Shampoo said, "I go on delivery now." Tofu could tell by the tone in her voice that despite the matter of fact words, she said it almost as a threat. The incoherent Mandarin she followed it with as she departed just reinforced the impression. Before Tofu could consider how to respond in his delusional state, he felt a series of quick pokes at specific pressure points designed to calm the mind. An instant later his mind and eyes cleared, allowing him to look around with some sense about him.

"She's gone," Cologne said.

Tofu sighed, and hid his face in his hands. "I made a complete fool of myself again. She's mad, isn't she?"

"Yes, although only indirectly at you," Cologne replied as she returned to the kitchen, the doctor following.

"Are you sure this is necessary, we still don't know-"

"We can only assume Cupid's intention was to affect you both. Had I not transformed Shampoo into her feline form when I did, she might well be under the effect as well," Cologne quickly interjected.

Tofu was forced to nod. The night nearly a week ago had been disastrous. Only Cologne's quick thinking may have saved Shampoo. She had explained later, once Shampoo had departed and he had regained his senses, that although details of the historical Cupid's powers and limits were few, that they only worked on humans had been stated. Unfortunately, once in love, whatever power would have been complete, meaning changes afterward would not break the effect, something they had already incidentally tested while Shampoo was under the effect previously towards Mousse. Although they could not be certain Shampoo had ever been a target, that was their assumption. Now, since Shampoo could not reasonably remain in her cat form all the time, the only option left was to fake it and hope the current day Cupid thought he had succeeded. Unfortunately, that did little to make Shampoo happy with the situation.

"Have you learned anything new?" Cologne asked, but the doctor could only shake his head.

"No. No one has asked me about Shampoo either," Tofu replied.

Cologne nodded. "Not at all unexpected. This Cupid will likely go to great lengths to hide his or her identity. However, continue to be diligent. There is always the possibility he will slip up."

"Of course," Tofu said, holding his chin in thought. "I'm just worried."

"Worried?" Cologne echoed. "Your situation can't get a whole lot worse."

"It's not about me," Tofu replied, and considered his words. "It's Shampoo. I still haven't told her about Kasumi and Ranma-"

"Oh that, she already knows about them," Cologne said plainly as she set about some cooking.

"WHAT?!" Tofu exclaimed, and quickly received a rap to the head for the outburst. "Sorry, but when? How? I thought you agreed not to tell her?"

Cologne shook her head in mild annoyance. "I didn't. After you mentioned her that night, Shampoo must have found out on her own. She's known for at least four days now."

"This is terrible!" Tofu said, more quietly this time, and began pacing the room. "Kasumi's not a martial artist. She can't defend herself."

"And Akane can?" Cologne asked, bringing Tofu's thoughts to an abrupt halt.

"What do you mean?"

"Be serious now. Akane Tendo has some skills, but do you honestly believe she would survive against Shampoo?"

Tofu pondered this for a moment, but was finally forced to shake his head. "No, but do you mean to say Shampoo isn't really all that dangerous?"

Cologne burst into laughter at this, which only confused the doctor. "Oh heavens no. That's not what I meant at all. My great granddaughter can be extremely dangerous, should she choose to be. However, as you should be well aware, her goal here is to win the hand of Ranma Saotome. Shampoo has become very much aware that doing Akane Tendo harm would actually work against that goal. Oh, there are certain circumstances I would not recommend Ms. Tendo get herself into with my great granddaughter, but right now the risk to her is minimal. In fact, it is far lower than it has ever been. Perhaps living here in Japan has softened her up a bit on the matter. In either case, the same logic applies to Kasumi, more so actually. Shampoo has expressed to me an extreme dislike of Akane on occasion. However, her sentiments towards Kasumi are far more positive."

Tofu nodded, although only some of his anxiety on the topic was relieved. "Still... couldn't you order her to not do anything... rash? I mean, you said it yourself that it would be generally counter productive."

Cologne shook her head. "No. I am here as an aid to Shampoo. I do not have the authority to dictate what actions she takes or does not take. That is purely her responsibility."

"So, you're telling me if she choose to do something you knew would destroy her chances with Ranma-"

"I would advise against such, but if she persisted, my only actions would be to aid her as best I could," Cologne answered quickly. "You must remember, my great granddaughter is more than simply a warrior. She is a potential future leader of our tribe. That requires more than simple martial arts. It requires wisdom. I won't always be there for her to come to, or to fix her mistakes. She has to learn to make the proper decisions on her own. If that means she must learn a terrible lesson here, then so be it. However, I have confidence in her. She has stepped poorly, I will admit, but she is making her way." Cologne paused to sample the broth from the batch of ramen she was making. "Of course, nothing stops you from giving her some friendly advice on the matter."

"Me?" Tofu said in shock. "I turn into a bubble brain whenever I'm even near her, even with those pressure points. How am I supposed to talk with her?"

"Oh, I have some more potent medicines around here. I'm sure I can whip up something that will see you through," Cologne replied, giving Tofu's a sideways glance, looking for his approval. He considered for a moment, but finally nodded.


Maho listen for the tenth time as a short conversation played out on the recording. "Okay, Shampoo can no wait to see you. Bye-bye," Shampoo concluded in the recording as it ended. Maho frowned and rubbed her hand across her lips in thought.

"It's difficult to pick out, but it does seem a little forced," Maho finally concluded.

"Exactly," L said in satisfaction.

"So, you think she's faking?" Maho asked, but did not wait for the response. "Why?"

L, putting his thumb to his mouth, considered. "Now, that is the question, isn't it."

"If we assume the original love effect was faked as well, maybe she's faking this one because Ukyo was right. Still doesn't explain Ranma being in love with Kasumi, but it's damn suspicious. But, doesn't she work during the day?"

"Yes, but I also get the feeling that she isn't stupid. Perhaps our profile is slightly off. She may have deliberately arranged things to be deceptive. She still might have enough access to television to be our Cupid. Also, since she's frequently out on delivers during work hours, that could explain why her access improves, contrary to the easy assumption that it would become worse."

"It's a long shot, but definitely worth it to check out." Maho pointed out. "We should set up some surveillance-"

L shook his head, interjecting, "Not advisable. Shan Pu is an Amazon warrior. They are well trained, and very dangerous if provoked. There is a high likelihood that any surveillance, either electronic or personal, would be detected. If she is our Cupid, she is extra dangerous, and we want to avoid tipping her off."

"Then what do we do?"

L seemed to ponder this question for a moment. "There is an old saying that I believe is very apt for this problem... hide in plain sight. The Nekohanten is down a waiter. They are no doubt in need of replacement."

"A waiter?" Maho asked.

"Waitress actually," L replied, looking with an all too obvious hint at Maho.

Maho took a second to fully realize the proposal, and sighed. 'It's not exactly a glamorous piece of undercover work, but I guess we haven't much choice.'

"Of course, that only deals with the first of our suspects."

"First?" Maho echoed in confusion.

L nodded. "Yes, and I find it interesting that you too seem to have overlooked her. She should be our most obvious suspect." Noticing the continued confusion on Maho's face, L grabbed up a nearby piece of paper and began drawing out a diagram of the web of relationships at Furikan. "Ranma Saotome has gotten himself into quite the mess. No less than four love interests, one former interest, and one male love interest. Now let's us map this all out. What do you see here?" Maho looked down at the paper, trying to see what L was seeing, but failing. Noticing this, L added, "We have common assumption made to this point that if untrue would make this situation far more understandable."

Maho once more looked over the web of relationships, and finally after several more seconds caught on. "You mean, if Kasumi actually does want to be with Ranma."

"Exactly. Shampoo, Ukyo, Kodachi, even her own sister have all been sabotaged. Then we have Ranma falling for her. Add to this her general profile. She has no job, and by all our information to date is a homemaker. She has two sisters and Ranma attending school so even with her father home most the day she would have much better access to television at that time, just as we predicted. It all fits very well."

"Almost too well," Maho replied. "Don't you find it a bit odd that Kasumi Tendo would take such a direct approach in this, but such an elaborate plan against the police? Also, why start using her power on people on the television at all if you're right. Seems like she would have achieved everything she would want."

L was forced to nodded. "I agree with your points, but I'm sure you would agree that she is at least as good a suspect as Shampoo?" L asked, to which Maho nodded her agreement. "With Kasumi we have nearly the same issue as Shan Pu. She herself may not be well trained, but many in the house are. Also, being a homemakers, she's has little cause to leave her home, making surveillance difficult. Unfortunately, getting access to the Tendo home is more complicated than applying for a job."

"It is a dojo," Maho pointed out.

"Yes, something to consider, but since Kasumi apparently has little involvement in the dojo, that won't afford much access to her. Watari!" Having been standing nearby silently the whole time, Watari finally stepped forward. "I want you to set up some long distance monitoring of the Tendo residence. Parabolic mics if possible. I want to see and hear as much as possible. Do be cautious though. They may not be as dangerous as Amazons, but I would not have you risking your safety."

"Of course L. I'll get right on it," Watari replied and headed out.


It was the lunch break at Furinkan High, and Nabiki was together with two of her friends, eating and discussing various matters of little to no importance, otherwise known to most outsiders to this tradition as gossiping.

"Hey, did you hear about Ukyo?"

"What about her?"

"I heard from Saori that she saw Ukyo out on a date with Kodachi."

Nabiki couldn't help but burst out laughing at that. "Oh please, that's an obvious lie," she said as regained some control.

"And how would you know?"

"Because, Kodachi is still buying pictures off me. They were actually dating I'm pretty sure that revenue stream would dry up," Nabiki replied.

"You sell phones of Ukyo now?" one of the girls asked in shock.

Nabiki shrugged, and took another bite of her lunch. "Whatever works. No nudes or anything."

"Probably because you can't get any," Nabiki's other friend said with a knowing smile.

"More for my own personal safety. Ukyo isn't quite as passive as Ranma or Akane," Nabiki replied.

Both girls nodded their agreement with that assessment. "Hey, speaking of nudes, did you hear what happened this morning to the principal?" one girl asked, but got only shakes of the head in response. "I heard Ms. Hinako caught him with camera's in the girls' change room. She went ballistic on him, and zapped him good."

"Don't you mean drained?" the other girl asked.

"No, she drained and zapped him!"

"Sounds like she was really T'ed off."

"Can't blame her. I mean, I knew he was a nut job, but a pervert too?! Men are pigs!"

Unnoticed by either of her friends, Nabiki's tension level rose. 'That's the thing though, he isn't a pervert,' she thought as she continued to listen.

"...Yeah, she's been going round the school ripping all his cameras out all day too."

"At least she's mad at him. Last week she nearly drained me for being late by one minute."

"How many cameras?" Nabiki asked, trying to seem casual.

The girl shrugged. "Not sure, quite a few apparently."

'Maybe he was just being thorough,' Nabiki thought, but it didn't relax her. 'I'm being paranoid. There is no way L could have come this far, especially this quick. I made absolutely sure of it.' Despite her own confidence, somehow she just was not convinced.


The business day at the Nekohanten drawing to a close, Shampoo dismissed herself from work and headed up to her room for some privacy. Tofu and Cologne were still apparently discussing matters, and Shampoo was in no mood for the Doctor's antics around her. 'It's no small wonder Cupid chose someone new for Kasumi,' she thought in disgust as she entered her room and laid down. She was just starting to get comfortable when a knock came at the door. Knowing her great grandmother never knocked, Shampoo knew immediately who it was. "What you want?" Shampoo could not help but snip at being disturbed.

"Can we talk?" Tofu asked from behind the door.

'Talk he says. He'll be lucky to string two sentences together before turning into a drooling moron,' Shampoo thought. Shampoo considered simply telling him to leave, but decided that she would give him a chance. "Come in." Tofu entered slowly, showing an extreme interest in the walls, ceiling and floor. Shampoo could not help but scoff at this. "You is worse than Mousse," Shampoo commented as she turned over and looked away.

"I'm not worse than-"

"At least he brave enough tell Shampoo he love her. You gutless coward!"

Tofu hung his head in shame. "You're right, I'm pathetic," he said, downtrodden, but only gained a moan of disgust from Shampoo in response. After taking a moment to collect himself, Tofu started again, "I know you're... angry, and I don't blame you. I just wanted... to... talk... uh... even with this potion Cologne mixed up for me, it's hard..." Tofu trailed off, unable to find the words. Annoyed, Shampoo rolled over to glare at him. Under her gaze, Tofu had a hard time even thinking. Quickly he once more diverted his eyes to the surroundings, restoring some of his sense. "I just thought it would be best if we talked."

"Shampoo have nothing talk about," Shampoo said plainly.

Tofu took another moment to collect his thoughts. "Shampoo, you know about Kasumi now, right?"

"Shampoo know Ranma love Kasumi because of Cupid, if that what mean," she answered.

"Uh, yeah."

"If worried about what Shampoo do, Shampoo decide do nothing to Kasumi. Kasumi no even know how fight. Would feel stupid have fight her," Shampoo said with a frown.

"Uh... that's... um... right," Tofu replied. "Right, I mean, Kasumi obviously doesn't want to be with Ranma, and it's all Cupid's doing anyway," he continued, gaining some confidence. "And besides, Ranma really would be upset if you..."

"Shampoo already said she wouldn't!" Shampoo said in annoyance.

"Of... of course," Tofu stammered. "I'm... just worried is all."

"You lied to me," Shampoo suddenly said, catching Tofu off guard.

"What?"

Shampoo jumped to her feet and moved within mere inches of Tofu, practically forcing his attention back to her. "You no even trust me. Ranma is same, yes? You lie, try make Shampoo feel better."

So confronted, Tofu felt a different sort of nervousness take hold, one that helped clear his thought rather than cloud it. "That's not true," he argued. "You asked if he hated you, and I meant it when I said he didn't."

"You know what Shampoo meant!" she said.

A feeling a guilt taking hold, for the first time since the conversation started, Tofu felt surprisingly like himself. Hanging his head, he took a moment before replying. "Yes... I knew." Steeling himself, he looked directly at the Shampoo. "So, I'll be honest with you. Your chances with Ranma are rather poor right now. Obviously, he's still rather worried about you. I mean, you were trying to kill him after all."

"Shampoo no do that anymore," Shampoo replied, hanging her own head.

"It's not that easy to forget. And, the other stuff isn't helping matters any I'm sure. He doesn't hate you, but..." Tofu explained, and as he did he could tell it was taking it's toll on Shampoo. Once more, the nagging feeling of love resurfaced, nearly demand he try to console her, and for an instance he nearly succumb to it, but as if sensing his intent, Shampoo shot him a warning glare. The desire quashed, Tofu turned away to reassemble his control.

"This no fair," Shampoo muttered as she too turned away and walked over to the window. "It hard enough, now Cupid..." she continued, finally letting out a low growl of frustration.

"I can help you," came as a sudden reply.

Shampoo looked back at Tofu in confusion. "What you mean?"

"Uh..." Tofu hesitated, but with a shake of his head restored his confidence. "I can help you with... Ranma."

"Why you do that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Why... well, because?"

Shampoo gave the doctor an unamused look. "You love Shampoo, no? Then why you want help Shampoo with Ranma?"

Tofu considered his reply for a moment. "I do... have feelings for you, but those are because of Cupid. The person I really want to be with is... well..."

"Kasumi," Shampoo concluded for the doctor. He only nodded in confirmation. Shampoo examined the doctor closely for a long moment, considering his motives, before smiling. "That Shampoo can understand. Then Shampoo help doctor with Kasumi too. Is deal?"

"Uh... yes," Tofu said with a eager nod of his own.


End Chapter 9

As I noted in chapter one, all input is welcome here. My ideas on this story are pretty sketchy right now meaning most my time is actually spent figuring out what to write rather than actually writing it, which is not the usual hold up for me.